The Beautiful and the Damned
by Shuriken to the face
Summary: AU. Deidara is a fast-living, hell-raising, iconic artist with a drug problem. Sasori is a reclusive, lonely artistic genius with a serious commitment complex. Sasodei
1. Chapter 1

Here's an AU fic I wrote a while ago and completely forgot about. And anyone waiting for the next chapter of Make Me Bleed: it is on its way, I promise! I've just been busy getting married and such like.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto I wouldn't be struggling to pay the rent on my flat, would I?

**The Beautiful and the Damned**

Deidara woke up feeling like death; sweaty, hung-over, and with his hair sticking to his face. He sat up in his queen sized bed, clutching at his head and groaning.

'What the fuck did I drink last night? No, scratch that. What the fuck did I take last night?' He thought as he tried to focus on stopping the room spinning round his vision. He felt someone moving about in the space next to him,

"Morning, sexy," a woman.

"Yeah, morning," another woman. He looked down to see a blonde haired girl and a pink haired girl naked in his bed, both looked thoroughly shagged. Deidara sighed as he stood up, mornings were always awkward,

"I don't mean to be rude, last night was great and all," he lied. In truth he could not remember anything past arriving at the V.I.P opening party for a hot new club in the city, "but you need to go. There should be a guy in an orange mask hanging around here somewhere, he'll pay for a taxi for you. It was great meeting you…er…"

"Sakura," the pink one.

"Ino," the blonde one. Deidara nodded, still non the wiser.

"Will we see you again?" The pink one asked as they both gathered their skimpy clothes and dressed. Deidara stopped on his way to the en suite shower room to look at them over his shoulder,

"Who knows…" he winked. The girls squealed and giggled, wobbling out of his room in their ridiculously high heels to go in search of the "guy in the orange mask". Deidara caught his reflection in the massive mirror in his bathroom. He winced, noticing his pale complexion where he was usually lightly tanned, dark circles under his eyes, and straggly long hair, 'Eugh, _really_ what did I take last night?' He took his time in the shower, already feeling better from the hot water. After showering he went through his normal routine; drying and straightening his long blond hair before styling it into his usual – a portion of it pulled up into a high ponytail on the top of his head and his trendy layered fringe covering the left side of his face; applying thick eyeliner to hide those dark circles. He dressed casually; ripped combat pants tucked into army boots that he did not lace up and a plain black hoody. Judging that he had made the best of a bad job, he left his bedroom wanting to get to a seat as soon as possible so it no longer felt like he was trying to walk on clouds.

The open plan living space was huge, seeming even bigger for the lavish but minimal furnishings. Deidara went straight to the kitchen and grabbed a box of chocolate cereal and a spoon, then proceeded to eat it dry and straight from the box. He shuffled across the room to the enormous white leather corner sofa that had seating for around fifteen people. Sprawled out on it was a guy in an orange mask flicking through the channels on the wall mounted plasma screen. Deidara scowled,

"Tobi, remind me again why I pay you good money and let you live in my house for free, yeah?" The man called Tobi laughed,

"Because I take care of the hot chicks the morning after for you?" He grabbed his head in pain, "Ow, no more laughing. My head hurts and I can't remember fuck all from last night…"

"You can't remember fuck all?! Isn't one of your jobs to remember stuff for me so I don't have to? Ah, well, I guess we'll just find out from the tabloids today what stupid shit I did last night. So, what's on the agenda for today?" Deidara got bored of the cereal and chucked the box over his shoulder. Tobi shook his head,

"You aren't doing anything today, I scheduled in a free day for you 'cause you haven't had a break for a while," even through the mask Deidara could tell that Tobi was giving him a disapproving look, "Shouldn't you eat a bit more for breakfast saying as it seems like the only meal you bother with nowadays?" Deidara shrugged,

"Just not hungry," he said taking a long draw from a cigarette. Tobi rolled his eyes, even though he knew the gesture could not be seen,

"Maybe you would be hungry if you spent less time drinking, taking drugs, and smoking." Deidara just flashed him a mischievous smile in return. They both turned round to the sound of someone crashing into a wall and cursing,

"Fucking bastard wall!" A young man with short gelled platinum blond hair came stumbling into the room,

"Are you still here? When are you going home, or should I just rename the guest wing Hidan's Suite of Rooms?" Deidara commented. Hidan squinted at him from across the room, evidently still drunk,

"Fuck off, Blondie. I _tried_ to go home last night but I crashed my Lamborghini down your driveway somewhere. I think I wrote it off…Ah, well, it was getting dirty anyway." Tobi sighed,

"Does that mean I have to call a tow truck?" Deidara looked thoughtful for a moment,

"No, leave it where it is if it looks cool, yeah," he stood up and grabbed his car keys off the green marble coffee table, wincing as the room shifted rather violently.

"Where are you going? Shouldn't you at least try to get some work done seeing as you have a free day?" Tobi asked. Deidara turned round on his way to the entrance hall,

"Nah, I'm too spontaneous for that. I'm going in search of inspiration, Tobi, yeah. I don't know when I'll be back!" Tobi was about to reply until he heard the front door slam.

Deidara climbed into his customised Bugatti Veyron, a smile on his face as the car sped down the driveway. He loved that car; he loved anything that was fast, and it had been well worth the £800,000 he had paid for it, 'It would be awesome if I died in this car…' the thought made him laugh. He drove round the suburbs of the city – Konoha – not really caring where he ended up. He was surprised when he came to a district he had never seen before; he had thought he knew the city he loved like the back of his hand. But then again, as he looked at the shops and boutiques that lined the road, he could think of no reason he would ever need to go there. It was all grand 19th century facades, tea shops, and antiques stores – everything he hated with a passion. Then, something caught his eye. Art. He parked outside the gallery, his car already gathering an admiring crowd, and entered the building.

A little bell rang when he opened the door, causing the redhead behind the counter to look up from the article he was reading. Then promptly look back down at it. Deidara was slightly taken aback to say the least. He was world famous, and not just in the art world. Everybody knew his face from the countless photo shoots, magazine articles, TV appearances. He mused on the fact while he wandered round the gallery, admiring the paintings. Of course, they were not to his taste, but he could still appreciate them. One in particular caught his attention - a landscape; deep, dark, morbid. It spoke of death - of oblivion - and Deidara loved it. He walked up to the counter, the redheaded man behind it still paying him no attention. Deidara could only assume that the man must live under a rock or something to not know who he was. He cleared his throat,

"Hi, I'm Deidara," he smiled. The redhead still did not look up,

"I know who you are, I just don't care." Deidara did not know what to say, he was somewhat in shock. There was hardly a time he could remember when someone did not care who he was! Everyone, whether they loved him or hated him, cared who he was! The sound of the redhead laughing broke him out of his thoughts,

"Don't take it personally; I just don't see what you do as art. And what else are you famous for? Who you've slept with, what you've done at parties, who your influential friends are, that kind of thing. So forgive me if I'm not impressed." The redhead had looked up at him while he had been talking, and Deidara had to admit that while the redhead's personality left a lot to be desired, he was stunning; pale and flawless skin, messy short hair that gave him a just rolled out of bed look, perfect features, and the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Eyes that could one second be grey, the next second a rich hazel or deep red. Ever-changing. If he had been looking for inspiration, he found it. Now he realised that the redhead was looking at him funnily, 'Dammit, spaced out again!' He shook his head to clear his thoughts,

"Anyway, you're quick to judge my work but have you ever even been to one of my exhibitions, yeah?" The redhead smirked,

"No, but have you ever been to one of mine?"

"Yes. You're Sasori. Akasuna Sasori. I saw an exhibition of the restoration work you did on a medieval triptych," Deidara replied, effectively wiping the smirk off Sasori's face. He took the opportunity to change the subject, "That landscape over there, I want to buy it."

Sasori looked surprised for a second, "I don't think so."

"Why not, it's not like I can't pay you for it – I'll even pay double."

The redhead folded his arms, "It's not about how much I sell it for, it's about how it will be appreciated. It's meant to last – not be discarded whenever you get sick of looking at it." Deidara frowned, the redhead's attitude was really beginning to piss him off now,

"Fine," he was half out of the door when he turned back to Sasori, "But I _do _appreciate your art, even though you despise mine!" Deidara closed the door forcefully behind himself. Ignoring the clamouring of people asking for his autograph or calling out that they love him, he climbed in his car and sped off. He drove around the suburbs, replaying his encounter with Sasori in his mind, 'Arrogant bastard! Ignorant bastard, too!' Deidara stopped his car at the red traffic lights. He could not quite work out why Sasori's opinion had bothered him so much – loads of people hated him, and he found it amusing. But this damn redhead…He was jolted back to reality when he heard the driver behind him angrily sound his horn, apparently the lights had long since changed to green. Right, he was going to sort this out. With a new sense of purpose he drove back to Sasori's gallery, the redhead more than a little surprised to find the world famous artist in front of him once again.

"What are you doing tonight?" Deidara demanded.

"I'm sorry?" Sasori replied, a little bewildered.

Deidara rolled his eyes, "Are you free tonight? I want to take you to see my exhibition. I don't care if you hate my art if you at least do the decency of bothering to look at it."

What Sasori really wanted to do was tell this blond idiot to fuck off, but he could not help but feel that doing that would make the blond the better man. He sighed, "I'm not doing anything, so I guess you can take me to see your 'art'."

Deidara looked quite smug now, "Great, I'll pick you up here at 7."

"Fine," Sasori sounded like he had been utterly defeated. Deidara was about to leave when he turned back to Sasori, smiling genuinely,

"Thanks."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Beautiful and the Damned**

Deidara felt a lot happier now that Sasori had agreed to go to the exhibition, he also felt very hungry. He thought for a minute, trying to remember the last time he had actually eaten something substantial. When he counted back over three days without success, he gave up and called Tobi.

"Tobi, I'm really hungry, yeah. Get Hidan and meet me in Hoko 10," Tobi started to say something, Deidara ignored him, "Bye, Tobi."

* * *

Hoko 10 was a very trendy bar with a very select clientele – if you were not rich or famous, you were not getting in – that had a no journalists or photographers policy. A place where people like Deidara could hang out without being bothered. He arrived first and made his way to their usual table in a back corner, stopping to chat briefly to various acquaintances. A waitress came over and took his drinks order, returning with a double black vodka for Deidara and the diet coke and bottle of red wine he had ordered for Tobi and Hidan. Deidara took a sip of his drink, thinking over his meeting with Sasori that night. He could not help but smile.

"Hey, fucker!" Ah, he knew that voice. Hidan sauntered over to the table, closely followed by a flustered looking Tobi. Hidan took a long swig from the wine bottle, not bothering with a glass.

"Last minute party tonight, Chinawhite," Tobi sighed, "I haven't even recovered from last night's party yet."

Deidara shrugged, "Just as well, 'cause I'm not going." Hidan was so shocked by this statement that he spat his mouthful of wine out over Tobi.

"What the fuck do you mean?! Everyone, and I mean _everyone _will be there – even my cousin is going!" Hidan proclaimed.

"I've got plans," Deidara replied. This sent Tobi into a panic, as he started flicking through his diary,

"What plans?! I don't have anything scheduled! Oh god, I fucked up again…" Tobi started hyperventilating.

Deidara took hold of him and shook him, "Tobi, listen; I just made plans now, you know I'm spontaneous, yeah." He let go of Tobi, who had calmed down considerably. Hidan slapped Tobi across the face,

"I'm not panicking anymore!"

"So, what are these plans that mean you have to miss out on _the_ party of the…well, week? Or should I ask what's her name?" Hidan winked.

"His name is Sasori," Deidara answered, Hidan spat out another mouthful of wine,

"Not Akasuna Sasori?!" Deidara nodded in response, "How the _hell_ did you meet him?! I heard he was some sort of recluse…"

"I went to his gallery, he insulted me, I invited him to see my exhibition tonight," Deidara explained. Hidan and Tobi both looked confused,

"So, he insulted you and you asked him out? I don't quite follow," Tobi said.

"Well first off, it's not a date. He has a real problem with my view on art, so I offered to take him to my exhibition. That's pretty much all there is to it, yeah."

"Not a date, eh? Sounds like a fucking date to me," Hidan said, slyly. Deidara downed the rest of his drink and shrugged,

"He's hot, but he has a major attitude problem."

"So you admit he's hot. It's a shag date then," Hidan decided.

Deidara sighed in exasperation, "Yes, he's hot. And no, it isn't a shag date." Now Hidan looked really confused,

"So, you're skipping out on the hottest party for a while, where sex with hot people is guaranteed – to go out with someone hot and _not _have sex?" Deidara nodded, "I still don't understand…" Hidan continued. Deidara just banged his head down on the table. The waitress came back over and took their food orders.

* * *

Sasori had closed his gallery for the afternoon after receiving a phone call from his friend Uchiha Itachi asking the redhead to meet him in the local coffee shop. Itachi had been away on business and was keen to catch up with his old friend. Sasori sat and sipped his coffee, waiting for Itachi to arrive, idly flicking through a copy of one of the tabloids that had been left on his table. He did not usually read such things, but he was bored. Then something caught his eye. A photo of Deidara in the showbiz gossip section showing the blond leaving a club in the early hours of the morning, a girl on each arm, looking absolutely smashed. Sasori shook his head, the photo doing nothing but reinforcing his opinion of the blond as a spoiled, rich, talentless brat. Someone set a cup of coffee down on the table and sat in the seat opposite.

"Reading the gossip pages, Sasori?" A soft, male voice. Sasori looked up to see a young man with long black hair, a pale complexion, and tired eyes.

"Reading about this idiot. I'm meeting him tonight so I might as well try to find out what I'm letting myself in for. Good trip, Itachi?"

"The usual. But this is much more interesting; you're meeting Deidara tonight?" Itachi smirked.

"Mm hm, he's taking me to see his exhibition. If he turns up. I'm not waiting around for him if he isn't on time," Sasori replied.

"So, it's a date then?"

Sasori froze, coffee mug half way to his mouth, "No!"

Itachi turned his head to look out of the window, "Really…" he muttered with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Beautiful and the Damned**

Deidara, Tobi and Hidan had eventually made it home at about 6, not leaving Deidara with much time to get ready if he wanted to be on time. Tobi and Hidan had crashed out on the couch, watching a gory horror movie. Deidara was rushing round like a mad man trying to get ready, determined to meet Sasori on time.

"Tobi! Sophisticated or trashy?!" Deidara shouted from his dressing room.

"Sophisticated or trashy what?!"

"For tonight, bastard! What shall I wear?"

"I thought it wasn't a date?" Hidan shouted his opinion.

"It's not, yeah!"

"Sasori will appreciate sophisticated over trashy, I think,"

"Right, I'll go trashy!" Deidara buried himself into one of his wardrobes, chucking random items of clothing over his shoulder. He emerged from the room wearing a tight, sleeveless, black, fishnet top with low-riding black skinny jeans tucked into his untied combat boots, and a couple of studded belts low on his hips. He had also redone his hair and reapplied his eyeliner.

"What time is it, Tobi?" Deidara asked while fastening a diamond crucifix round his neck,

"Erm…" Tobi looked round for his watch, eventually finding it under Hidan, "Um, it's 7."

"Deidara's eyes widened comically, "Shit!" He grabbed his car keys and ran out of the house.

* * *

Sasori sat behind the counter in his gallery, his head resting on his palm. He checked his watch again – 7:20. Not for the first time he wondered why he had even bothered waiting. It was obvious that the blond wasn't coming. He was about to make his way to his penthouse apartment above the gallery when he heard a knock at the door. Sasori was definitely surprised to find Deidara on the other side, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"I'm really sorry I'm late, I lost track of time, yeah," he smiled. Sasori's normal, indifferent expression did not change as he replied,

"I don't particularly like waiting." He had meant to say 'it's ok' but it came out a bit wrong.

"Oh, ok then…" Sasori could not help but feel like a dickhead when he saw how dejected Deidara looked. The blond quickly brightened up though,

"Ready to go?" he asked. The redhead nodded, locking the door behind them and following Deidara to the car.

Sasori stopped at the passenger door, not wanting to touch the abnormally expensive, shiny car, 'Knowing me I'll probably open the door and it'll fall off.'

Deidara noticed the redhead staring at the car apprehensively, 'Aww, cute.' He flashed Sasori a dazzling smile, "It won't bite. Besides, if you scratch it I can always buy a new one!" His statement had the desired effect – making Sasori scowl at the blond's frivolous attitude. Sasori made sure to slam the door when he got in the car. He almost jumped when Deidara switched on the ignition and the small space was filled with very, _very _loud electronica. Sasori imagined it to be the kind of music you would hear in a lap dancing club. The drive was over in a few minutes, but to Sasori it felt like an eternity; he had noticed the see-through fishnet top that Deidara was wearing and had realised to his horror that he could see the blond's nipples. He spent the rest of the journey staring unblinkingly out of the windscreen.

They arrived at the gallery; a large, old industrial building in the trendiest part of the city. A security guard unlocked the doors for them and Deidara proceeded to drag Sasori to his exhibition space.

"There!" He said, gesturing to his artworks, a massive grin on his face. Deidara stood aside, allowing Sasori to wander round the exhibition. The blond watched on, nervously biting his lip. He had no idea why he wanted Sasori's approval so much – he just knew that it would make him happy. It was not looking good at the minute though, Sasori's expression as uninterested as ever. Eventually, the redhead wandered back over.

"It certainly isn't my kind of thing – but I have to admit that…you are _really_ talented," he even offered the blond a small smile. Deidara's face immediately lit up into a gorgeous smile. Without thinking, he threw his arms around the redhead and pulled him into a tight hug. He regained his composure when he felt Sasori frantically trying to push him off. Releasing Sasori he stepped back, totally unfazed. Sasori's face, however, was rapidly turning the same shade as his hair.

They walked back to the car together, passing the time discussing art once Sasori's embarrassment had faded. The redhead had to acknowledge that this Deidara he was talking to was nothing like the Deidara he read about in the papers. The blond was friendly, intelligent, eager to please – nothing at all like he had envisaged. Sasori was even beginning to enjoy his company; too bad their meeting was almost over.

"Hey, do you fancy going for a drink so we can talk more? I'm getting quite into this discussion. Beats talking to the idiots I usually find myself surrounded by, yeah," the question surprised Sasori. He opened his mouth to say no, but reconsidered. His relatives did always tell him to get out more and meet new people.

"Sure," he shrugged. Deidara grinned again,

"Great! I know a place where we won't get bothered."

* * *

They went to Hoko 10. The bar was a lot busier than it had been at lunchtime, but Deidara had been right and the two were not bothered by anyone, allowing them to continue their conversation. Sasori looked at his watch, eyes widening when he saw that it was almost midnight. They had been talking for 4 hours! Deidara frowned when he saw Sasori's expression,

"Something wrong?"

"I'm sorry but I really need to go, I have to go to a meeting in the morning," Sasori replied, genuinely sorry to have to leave.

"No problem! I can drop you off home!"

Sasori gave him an incredulous look, "You've had a few drinks, and I don't think you should drive. Either way, I'm going to get a taxi." Deidara did not want to be separated from the redhead just yet,

"I guess you're right. Mind if I share a taxi with you?"

Sasori shook his head, "Of course not. I prefer it this way. I don't want to read the paper tomorrow to find out that you crashed your car."

A few minutes later and they were sitting together in the back of the taxi, talking about nothing in particular. Sasori was the first to be dropped off.

"Thanks, for taking me to see your exhibition. I acted like a total dick when we first met, and…I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Deidara smiled. There were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"Well, goodnight," Sasori said, getting out of the taxi.

"Goodnight, yeah."

* * *

Tobi and Hidan had gone to the party, returning to the house in the early hours to find Deidara lying on the couch watching tv and eating ice cream out of the tub. Hidan drunkenly stumbled off to his room while Tobi sat on the couch, the masked man completely sober.

"Where's the car?" he asked, fearing the worst.

Deidara replied after swallowing his mouthful of ice cream, "Hoko 10. Took a taxi home."

Tobi looked as shocked as a man in a mask can, "You took a taxi? You never take a taxi! I didn't even have a drink 'cause I expected you to want me to pick you up, and then I find you at home eating ice cream!"

"Sasori didn't want me to drive after having a few drinks, so I shared a taxi with him," the blond shrugged.

"This Sasori seems to be having a positive effect on you. Sounds like you probably had a better night than we did. The party was shit so we left early."

"It was shit 'cause I wasn't there!" Deidara laughed.

Tobi shook his head in amusement, "You know what? You're probably right."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Beautiful and the Damned**

Sasori's cousins had stopped by a few days after his important meeting to find out how it had gone. They were currently having lunch in a quiet restaurant.

"I called you a few nights ago and you weren't in! I was so surprised," his only female cousin, Temari commented. She was the closest to Sasori in age and was always meddling in the redhead's life.

Sasori rolled his eyes, "I do go out, you know." Temari gave him a sceptical look as if to say 'when?'.

"So where were you the other night?" Kankouro, the middle cousin asked. He was also an artist, desperate to learn from Sasori. The redhead had taught him a lot, but could not help but feel that his cousin was lacking in talent.

"Deidara took me to see his exhibition and then we went for drinks."

"You know Deidara?! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…HE IS SO HOT!" Temari squeeled. Sasori and Kankouro edged away from her. This was _very_ unlike her. The final cousin, Gaara, was glaring daggers at nothing in particular. She coughed when she noticed everyone looking at her, "Sorry, I don't know what came over me there…How did your date go?"

"Why must everyone assume it was a date? We just met and he asked me to go to his exhibition with him! It's not like he invited me for a weekend in the capital of Wave country!" Sasori scowled. Temari and Kankouro looked at each other – then burst out laughing.

"Right, I believe you. Couldn't imagine you being attracted to someone who behaves like this anyway," Temari got out a magazine, flicking to a page showing Deidara in a club a couple of nights ago; getting cosy with a top model then leaving her apartment the next day. Sasori could not take his eyes off the pictures. Temari and Kankouro exchanged concerned glances.

* * *

Deidara had just found out that there was going to be a major exhibition of Sasori's restoration work and was going to the redhead's gallery to congratulate him. However, he was confronted with an unfamiliar blond woman instead of a familiar redhead.

"Hey, is Sasori here? I wanted to congratulate him on his new exhibition."

The woman was momentarily shocked, "Sorry, he's already gone to Rain to supervise the unloading of the exhibits. Um, I'm Temari by the way. I know who you are, obviously," she mentally cursed herself for sounding so stupid.

"So…how do you know Sasori," Deidara asked carefully, hoping he had not just met Sasori's girlfriend.

"I'm his cousin, looking after the place while he's gone," she explained, noticing how Deidara's body language went from guarded to happy in 0.5 seconds flat. 'Interesting…'

Deidara pressed a speed-dial number on his phone, "Tobi, grab our passports and pack some clothes. Meet me at the airport – we're going to Rain." He hung up and smiled at Temari, "It was nice to meet you."

* * *

Deidara was sure the plane journey would have been boring if not for his supply of coke and the hot woman he had shared lines with and then fucked in the toilet – one advantage of flying business class was the much larger and quite luxurious bathroom. Deidara returned to his seat next to Tobi, the woman walking past to her own seat. The two did not acknowledge each other, or even make eye contact; that was just how you did these kinds of things. There had been no kisses, no sweet whisperings, no exchanged phone numbers.

Tobi was on his laptop. He had been working non-stop to try to rearrange Deidara's schedule around their unplanned trip. And now with a fidgeting, coked-up Deidara sitting next to him, he gave up. Shutting his laptop he turned to his employer,

"Tell me again why we are on a plane to the capital of Rain."

The blond grinned, "To congratulate Sasori of course."

Tobi stared at him for a while, "And you couldn't have just phoned him?"

"I don't have his mobile number."

Tobi sighed dramatically, holding his head in his hands, "This job is going to put me in an early grave."

A limo and a throng of photographers were waiting for them at the airport. Tobi had to fight a way through the crowd, while carrying their bags, to get them to the car. Deidara closely followed him – hair stylishly messy and large sunglasses hiding his dilated pupils – ignoring the questions that were shouted at him. The limo driver sped off as soon as the two were settled in the car.

"Um, I don't know where he's staying, yeah," Deidara suddenly realised. Tobi chuckled and pulled out a scrap of paper with the address of a hotel written on it,

"What do you think I was doing on that flight while you were having drug fuelled sex? I emailed the hotel and booked us a suite as well."

It was the most expensive and luxurious hotel in the capital, right in the middle of the most stylish part of the city – designer boutiques, galleries, and exclusive restaurants occupied every old building. More photographers were waiting near the hotel – evidently one of the workers had put the word out that Deidara would be arriving. After signing a couple of autographs for the reception staff they were shown to their suite, Tobi tipping the porter well; he knew how heavy Deidara's bags were. They had stayed in this suite on their last trip to Rain. Normally Deidara would not remember things like this, but on seeing the hot tub and sauna in the room next to the bathroom he distinctly remembered Tobi giving him a lecture after passing out in the Jacuzzi from an overdose and almost drowning.

The blond showered and changed into a pair of baggy black pinstripe trousers and a sleeveless black fitted vest. He put on one of his studded belts, replacing the normal belt buckle for one that spelt out his name in diamonds. He had nearly made it out of the door before Tobi realised,

"Where are you going now?" he asked, exasperated.

Deidara gave him a wink, "To find Sasori." He closed the door before he could hear Tobi shout something about room numbers.

Deidara knew that he could have just asked which room Sasori was in at reception, but knocking on all of the doors was much more fun. He knocked on the door to the final suite (he did not think the gallery would put Sasori up in a _normal_ room). It was opened by a young man with messy brown hair.

"Oh, sorry, wrong room," Deidara was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice.

"Who is it, Kankouro?" Kankouro was about to reply until he was cut off by Deidara,

"Sasori!" Deidara shouted excitedly. "Congratulations on your new exhibition!"

Kankouro looked to his older cousin, the redhead looking completely bewildered,

"Deidara? Why…what are you doing here?"

The blond grinned, "Didn't you hear me? I came to congratulate you! I went to your gallery but this blonde chick told me you had already gone to Rain, so I came here too!"

Sasori was shocked, to say the least, "You flew all the way here to congratulate me?"

Deidara nodded vigorously, "And to take you out for a congratulatory drink. Now."

Sasori shook his head, "I can't, I have so much paperwork to go through-"

"Just go, cuz. I can do it," Kankouro offered. Without waiting for Sasori's reply, Deidara dragged him out of the room.

Sasori replied to all of Deidara's questions with one word answers, still in shock, until he got his first drink in him.

"Okay, you could have just gotten my number from Temari. Why did you feel the need to come here?"

Deidara shrugged, "It's simple; I missed you." Sasori choked on his second drink.

"You missed me?!" he asked once he had recovered.

"Yes. I. Missed. You. Did you not miss me, yeah?" Deidara pouted, giving him a puppy dog look.

Sasori sighed, "I may have missed you. A little. I…enjoy your company. Strangely. There must be something wrong with me…"

His confession was rewarded with a cute little smile. The subject was dropped, and they continued to talk about everything and nothing. A little while later Deidara remembered his favourite thing about that hotel,

"Have you ever stayed here before?" The redhead shook his head. "Then I've got something to show you." Deidara took him up in the lift to the top floor. The doors opened, revealing a roof garden shielded from the rain by a glass dome, with fabulous views of the city and a bar where a few patrons who new about the garden sat drinking cocktails. It was dark now, and the stars were out. Deidara led Sasori to the balcony where they could look out over the city and not be disturbed.

"So, do you like it, yeah?" Deidara asked, smiling at Sasori's awestruck expression. The redhead nodded slowly,

"It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is," Deidara said without thinking, not having taken his eyes off Sasori. The redhead was aware of a gentle hand on his face, turning him to face the blond, then soft lips on his own. Sasori froze, heart beating so hard he could feel it. Deidara must have felt him tense.

"I'm sorry, I…" he looked away from Sasori, mentally berating himself for once for being so 'spontaneous'. It had just felt like the right thing to do. Sasori, meanwhile, was about to give in to spontaneity for the first time. He put a firm hand on the back of the taller artist's head and pulled him into a tender kiss. It could have lasted for seconds or minutes – all sense of time was lost. It was Sasori who broke the kiss,

"I should get back, I still have a lot to do," he explained. Deidara nodded,

"I understand, I know you would feel more comfortable if you sorted everything out instead of your cousin, yeah." They walked back to Sasori's suite in a comfortable silence, walking slowly so as to spend more time in each other's company. Both were reluctant to part when they reached Sasori's door.

"Are you coming to the opening night tomorrow?" Sasori asked. Deidara smiled,

"As long as you want me to."

"Of course. I better go now, goodnight."

"Goodnight, yeah." Deidara gave Sasori a quick, chaste kiss before the redhead disappeared behind the door.

* * *

Tobi looked up from his place on the sofa where he was watching a horror movie and eating popcorn.

"I take it you found him then, unless you've been wandering around the corridors all this time knocking on random doors."

Deidara kicked his boots off and joined his assistant on the large comfy sofa, "Guess what."

"What?"

"Sasori and I…kissed," Deidara almost squealed. Tobi stared at him, waiting for the blond to continue,

"And?" the masked man prompted. Deidara looked slightly confused,

"And what, yeah?" he asked.

"And then you had sex, I suppose," Tobi answered, fully expecting that to be the case.

Deidara shook his head, "No. We then walked back to his room and I kissed him goodnight. What did you mean 'I suppose you had sex?'?!"

"No offence Deidara, but sex to you is like a handshake."

* * *

"Temari rang, she asked if you can phone her back," Kankouro said when Sasori arrived back. Sasori went straight to his room and called his cousin, shutting the door so that Kankouro would not over hear.

"Did he find you, then?" came Temari's excited voice. Sasori sighed, she had not even greeted him.

"Yes, he found me. You could have phoned me to tell me he was coming!"

"Aww, and spoil the surprise? Well, what happened?" she asked.

Sasori frowned, "How do you know something happened?"

"You sound different…like…happy…or something."

"Fine. We went for drinks, then he took me to this nice place. He kissed me, then I kissed him. That's pretty much it."

"How can you stand there and say, 'that's pretty much it'! You kissed someone! And it was Deidara! What was it like?!" He thought she sounded more excited than he did.

"It was…nice. Very nice."

"Did you use tongue? I bet he did…"

"TEMARI! SHUT UP!"

"You two an item now?" she asked slyly.

"No. I mean, I don't think we are. I don't know."

"Well find out! I have to go now, but I expect you to call me tomorrow! Good luck, Sasori."

"Thanks, Temari. I have your brother to help me though."

She laughed, "I didn't mean with the exhibition!" She hung up before Sasori could shout at her.


	5. Chapter 5

I was going to try to keep up on the updates for this as most of it is already written, but I'm going to be working away for a couple of weeks in a field in the middle of nowhere - on the plus side though I'm going to finish the next chapter of Make Me Bleed while I'm away. I promise.

**The Beautiful and the Damned**

Deidara and Tobi's peaceful lie-in was brought to an abrupt end by someone pounding on the door to their suite. They both stumbled out of their respective rooms, bumping into each other in the living area. They were usually just going to sleep at eight in the morning, not getting up! Deidara collapsed in a heap on the sofa while Tobi opened the door – to be bowled over by Hidan barging in.

"You utter bastards! You fucking left without telling me!"

"We're flying home tomorrow!" Tobi shouted.

Hidan waved his arms round, "That's not the point! Anyway, what are you guys doing here?"

"We came on a mission to congratulate Akasuna Sasori on his exhibition,"Tobi explained.

"Oh I see, lifestyles of the rich and famous, eh?" Hidan said with a laugh. Deidara yawned; well he might as well stay up now.

"Well, I'm awake now thanks to you so you can both bloody well come down to breakfast with me, yeah." Deidara disappeared into his room to get dressed, Tobi trudging off to his own room leaving Hidan to wait.

* * *

Sasori had been unable to sleep. He replayed the kiss they had shared in the roof garden over and over again. It was seven in the morning now and Sasori was already showered and dressed. He passed the door to Kankouro's room and could hear his cousin snoring. Sasori decided he would give him another hour before waking him for breakfast, giving the redhead enough time to talk to Temari. He sat down and dialled his home number; Temari was staying in his apartment above the gallery while he was away.

"Hello?" She sounded as if she had just woken up.

"Late night?" Sasori laughed.

"Damn you, Sasori. Anyway, what brings this on? I know I said ring me today, but this is ridiculous."

She heard the redhead sigh, "I couldn't sleep last night, so I stayed up thinking. About Deidara."

"And?" He could hear the anticipation in her voice.

"I don't want anything to do with him." He was surprised at how hard it had been to say that aloud. There was silence at the other end of the line.

Temari eventually spoke, "Why, Sasori? You can never just take a chance, can you? Every relationship you get in to you try and make it last forever…even when you know you're kidding yourself," she sounded upset. "All the time you have wasted trying to make things last that were never meant to. Just…do what you want, Sasori." Temari hung up.

Sasori sat back and stared at the ceiling. What Temari had said was true. He always tried to make his relationships last, and could count the number of lovers he had had on one hand. He blamed it on his grandmother. His parents had died when he was very young and she had raised him, in a way, until she had become weary of caring for him when he was around eight years old. After that he had been passed from pillar to post. She refused to allow Temari's parents to adopt him and instead sent him away to an orphanage in secret. It had taken his aunt and uncle five years to find him. Sasori had grown up to crave stability; and that had transferred to relationships. He had never been in love and had never really been attracted to anyone. His main criteria being to find someone suitable to spend the rest of his life with – love or affection had never come into it. Sasori had even proposed to his first girlfriend. She had turned him down and the relationship ended soon after. He had another girlfriend almost straight away and the two had moved in together almost immediately. She had ended it when she finally realised that Sasori felt nothing for her. It was not long after that that Sasori had his first relationship with a man, finding out that he was gay rather than bisexual. Still, though, he had felt nothing except the longing for stability. Two more boyfriends had followed; one relationship ended after Sasori discovered he was being cheated on, the other ended after his lover had gotten sick of the lack of attention. He had been single for three years now; and he did not do one night stands.

Sasori sighed. Deidara was the worst possible candidate for a relationship. The blond was a player; sleeping with anyone who was young and beautiful. Sasori doubted that he had ever even had a steady partner.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard Kankouro enter the living room area.

"Come on, cuz, I'm starving!" Sasori rolled his eyes and followed his relative down to breakfast.

* * *

"Look who's just walked in," Hidan nudged Deidara. The blond turned to see Sasori. The redhead looked surprised that the blond would be up at eight in the morning. Deidara decided that he would let Sasori think that he was always up at this time. It was one more point in his favour, anyway.

"I need to talk to Sasori for a minute, I'll be back," he said, patting Hidan on the shoulder.

Deidara felt slightly nervous, a feeling completely alien to him, as he approached the redhead.

"Hey, could we talk outside for a minute?" Deidara offered a sheepish smile. Sasori nodded in return, his expression making Deidara's stomach flip. They walked to the library room which was empty.

"Um…I really…that is…yeah…" Deidara looked down at his feet as he tried to explain his feelings to Sasori. The blond intended to ask Sasori out.

"Deidara," Sasori spoke, his voice cold and expression one of disinterest. His manner hid his inner heart-ache.

"Yes?" Deidara looked him in the eye, offering a nervous smile.

"Last night was a mistake," it was all Sasori could do to not immediately take those words back. Deidara's smile faded, and Sasori could swear he saw his big blue eye fill with tears.

"I see…I…I guess I shouldn't come to the opening night with…you…" the blond bit his lip to keep from crying. Sasori turned his head away from Deidara in an attempt to stop the pain he felt,

"It would be best if you didn't." Sasori felt a warm hand on his face. He looked at Deidara,

"I want you to know that last night…it may have been a mistake to you…but I have never felt anything so right."

As he watched the blond walk away, Sasori could not help but think he had made the biggest mistake of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

After his conversation with Sasori, Deidara had returned to Konoha; throwing himself back into his hedonistic lifestyle in an attempt to forget Sasori

After his conversation with Sasori, Deidara had returned to Konoha; throwing himself back into his hedonistic lifestyle in an attempt to forget the redhead. Every morning he woke up with a different person and no knowledge of the night before – losing himself in a blur of drugs, partying and sex. He knew that Tobi was worried. The masked man no longer drank when they went to a party; he stayed sober, taking it as his responsibility to make sure that Deidara did not overdose.

It all came to a head one night at the trendiest nightclub in Konoha. One of the hottest bands of the moment had played and it was now the early hours of the morning. Deidara was ensconced in a dark corner getting quite close with the lead singer from the band. Tobi watched as the man moved very close to the blond and whispered something in his ear, causing the two to stand and stumble off to the men's toilets. They went in to a free cubicle, the singer locking the door behind them while Deidara pulled out a bag of powder and used his credit card to divide it in to several lines. The singer took his share first, leaning back against the wall while Deidara snorted powder. The blond laughed as the drug took effect, and the singer pushed him up against the wall, attacking the blond's neck with his mouth as Deidara moaned. The singer's hands fiddled with Deidara's belt and he unfastened the blond's pants enough to free his hardening cock. He dropped to his knees, expertly deep throating the artist. Deidara threw his head back in pleasure, one hand tangling in the singer's hair while the other entangled in his own. The singer sucked hungrily until Deidara shot down his throat, then cleaned off the blond. They shared a few breathless kisses before returning to the party. Tobi frowned when he saw Deidara, it was obvious he had taken more coke.

Tobi was first up that morning, switching on tv and with a glass of orange juice. God only knew when Deidara and Hidan, and whoever they had brought home with them, would wake up. He flicked through the channels until a feature on one of the celebrity channels caught his eye – and he promptly spat his juice over the coffee table. A video was playing on the news segment. A grainy video from the party the previous night was playing; Deidara and the lead singer from the band were in a toilet cubicle doing drugs – then the singer was shown going down on the blond before the video was cut.

"_Shit!_" Tobi lept up and frantically ran to Deidara's room, not bothering to knock before he burst in.

"Tobi? What the hell?!" Deidara sat up in bed, clutching his head. The male model in bed with him did not even stir.

"Need to get rid of your stash, police probably on the way now!" Tobi gathered up the stash of drugs before heading out on his way to Hidan's room. "Just get fucking dressed and get rid of that guy!"

Twenty minutes later Deidara looked half presentable and the guy from his bed was gone. Hidan was sitting on the sofa, still pissed.

"Tobi what the fuck is going on?!" Deidara demanded. Tobi was about to explain when there was a knock on the door. The police had arrived. Deidara looked utterly confused.

"Can I help you, yeah?"

A stern looking police officer stepped forward, "We would like you to accompany us to the police station to answer some questions."

Deidara opened his mouth to protest, not knowing what the hell this was all about. He thought better of it and conceded, "Of course, yeah."

All three were taken for questioning in different cars, unable to communicate with one another. Deidara tried asking the police officer in the back of the car with him what this was all about, but was ignored. The blond could do nothing but sit in silence.

They were kept separate at the station, with Deidara taken for questioning first. A police officer stood guard at the door, two detectives sat across the table from Deidara.

"Am I under arrest, yeah?"

One of the detectives snorted, "Not yet…"

"I still have no idea why I'm here, yeah."

"I'll refresh your memory then," the same detective that had spoken before answered. He picked up the remote control that was lying on the table. Pressing the play button, he nodded towards the tv in the corner. Deidara stared as the video started, watching the whole film while unable to look away. There was no sound in the room save for the sound of laughing and moaning coming from the tv speakers. The detective switched off the machine once the clip had ended.

"The blond in that video is you?" Deidara nodded. "When and where was this video taken?"

"Last night, at Pacha." The detective wrote it down.

"Do you want to call a lawyer?"

Deidara looked up, confused, "Why?"

"Deidara, you are under arrest for the possession and supply of a class A drug. You have the right to remain silent…"


	7. Chapter 7

First off, an apology: I just went to upload the next chapter of this fic - which I _thought _was chapter 6. However, it seems that when I was really drunk a couple of weeks ago I already uploaded that chapter without editing it, and I have absolutely no memory of it. I must have been _totally_ trollied on the old vino. Anyway, if it was a bit hard to follow last chapter without any page breaks/decent grammer, I wholeheartedly apologise.

**The Beautiful and the Damned**

Tobi and Hidan were released without charge. The detectives had obtained a warrant and Deidara's house and cars had been searched. The search had been fruitless and the blond was released on bail to return for a court hearing in a few days. The story was all over the papers and entertainment shows; it had been reported from an insider that it had been a set up planned by a photographer and the singer – the photographer got a massive pay check, the singer got unrivalled publicity. A prosecution against the singer was dropped as he was only pictured taking the drugs while Deidara was arrested for supply; the band's new album had gone straight to number one. Deidara was not an idiot – he knew when he had been fucked over.

The court case did not bother him, he had a great lawyer and had been in this situation a couple of times. He knew that had he been a normal guy off the street there would be no doubt over a prison sentence; the worst he had to fear was a prolonged stint in rehab. What really bothered the blond was what Sasori would think of him. He had had no contact with the redhead since that morning in Rain, where his full intention had been to leave as Sasori's boyfriend. He was crazy about the other artist, even sure that he had seen the redhead a few times in the city.

The court hearing did not last long; Deidara got off with the lesser charge of possession and was fined. Damn his lawyer was good.

* * *

Sasori would probably have remained oblivious to the drama surrounding Deidara had Temari not told him about it. She had called him and asked him to meet her in the coffee shop. She came in carrying a copy of _The Sun _that was a few days old_._

"Have you heard?!"

Sasori just looked puzzled, "Um, no?"

"Oh my God, I know you pretty much live under a rock but I thought you would have at least heard _something_! Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Look…" She showed him the front page where there was a large photo of Deidara taking cocaine. He stared at it before reading the article. The article was continued on page 4. Sasori turned the pages.

"Sasori? You might not want to see the other photos…" The redhead ignored her and sat staring at a photo of Deidara, a look of utter pleasure on his face as his dick was sucked by a man. Surprisingly, that was not the photo that affected him the most; Sasori felt physically sick when he saw Deidara and the other man kissing hungrily. Temari took the paper off him,

"This is a few days old, but I've been following the story. Apparently it was all a publicity stunt on the part of the other guy. Deidara knew nothing about them being caught and ended up getting arrested for supplying drugs. His court hearing was yesterday, I think he got off with a fine," Temari explained. She bit her lip when she noticed that Sasori looked positively murderous.

"I can't fucking believe the bastard that used him like that!" Sasori took a few deep breaths to calm down, "Sorry." Temari patted his hand reassuringly,

"Don't be. But as far as I know, he's fine."

Sasori nodded in response, "I've seen him around a few times, but I always hid so he wouldn't see me. God I've been acting like a schoolgirl." He noticed her eyes widen comically as she looked over his shoulder to the door,

"Well, now's your chance. Oh would you look at the time, I have to go. I'll ring you later," she jumped up and hurried out of the door. Sasori turned to watch her go,

"Temari wait, I…" he stopped as he came face to face with Deidara. He noticed that the blond looked as surprised at the encounter as he did. They stood staring at each other in shocked silence until Deidara spoke,

"Sasori…you look well…" the blond offered. He was very pale, making the dark circles under his eyes stand out more. Sasori looked over the blond's frame – he looked so much skinnier than he remembered.

"You…don't."

Deidara gave him a sad smile, "I know. Could we talk?" He sounded so hopeful.

"…yes," Sasori moved to a quiet booth at the back where there were no other patrons, Deidara sitting down opposite him.

Deidara took a deep breath, refusing to look at Sasori, "So…I guess you hate me then, after seeing what I've done?"

"You couldn't be further from the truth…I hate the bastard who used you."

"Sasori…I'm crazy about you-ˮ

Sasori took Deidara's hand in his own, making the blond look at him, confused, "When I told you that the kiss had been a mistake," Sasori sighed, he owed both of them the truth, "…I was wrong," Sasori couldn't help but smile at how bewildered the blond looked.

"I don't understand, yeah."

"Deidara, I want to give you a chance," Sasori explained. It took a while for Sasori's words to sink in, but then Deidara gave him one of his dazzling smiles,

"So, we can like, go out on a date? Tonight?"

Sasori nodded. Deidara jumped up and punched the air, "YES!" Several people turned to look at them, "Um, where do you want to go, yeah?"

"Well, I believe it's the first night of the Winter Market tonight in the Great Park, shall we go there?" Sasori suggested.

"Perfect! How about we meet at the main park gates underneath the clock at eight?" The blond looked positively giddy.

Sasori smiled, "I'll see you there. I have to get back to the gallery," Sasori stood and paused for a second seeming to think about something, before placing a quick kiss on the blond's lips and leaving. Deidara closed his eyes and smiled, his fingers touching hips lips where Sasori had kissed him.

* * *

Lol, Temari reads The Sun


	8. Chapter 8

I took time out of my busy schedule to write a sex scene...because I'm unfulfilled. And on the gin and tonics by lunchtime. Every...single...day.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to someone that isn't me.

* * *

Deidara had arrived on time, twenty minutes early to be exact, eager to see Sasori. It was now half past eight. Deidara did not mind though; Sasori had told him that he would be there, and the blond was prepared to wait for hours. Not many people had recognised him – he was wearing an oversized hoody, the hood covering his hair that he had left down, and skinny ripped jeans. Sasori eventually arrived, and Deidara smirked at the redhead's surprised expression,

"'Bout time, I've been here for ages!" Deidara lent down and quickly kissed Sasori.

"Sorry, I hate being late. I just didn't think that you would be here on time," Sasori apologised, feeling pretty bad about making assumptions about the blond.

"Don't worry about it, if I was going to be meeting me somewhere I wouldn't arrive on time either," he frowned, "Did that even make any sense?"

"Just about," Sasori laughed. They wandered round the busy park, looking at the stalls, watching the street performers and trying samples of tasty food. Neither realised that they were holding hands. Two hours later the market started to close for the night.

Deidara turned to Sasori, "I don't suppose you want to…do something else, or something, yeah?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come back to my place and we can watch a movie?" Sasori suggested, reluctant to be separated from the blond.

"Definitely!" Sasori raised an eyebrow in amusement as Deidara practically squealed, "That came out a bit wrong, yeah."

****************

Deidara drove them the short distance to Sasori's apartment.

"I didn't realise that you lived above your gallery, if I had known that I would have come over more often to bother you, yeah!" Deidara followed Sasori through the door to the penthouse. He was not surprised by how differently Sasori's apartment was furnished compared to his own house; mismatched pieces of dark mahogany furniture, comfy chairs, classical artworks, and rich colours. It was so far removed from his own taste that he expected to hate it; he didn't though – it was homey.

"Make yourself at home, I'll open some wine," Sasori said, indicating the cosy looking sofa in front of the tv that was more than big enough for the both of them. Deidara sat down and looked through the pile of dvds that were lying on the coffee table,

"Wine? I seem to remember that you weren't happy about me driving after I had been drinking, yeah?" Deidara called through to the kitchen. He heard the pop of a wine bottle being opened. Sasori came back through to the living room and sat next to the blond, pouring two glasses of merlot.

"I'm not, but I do have a guest room. See anything you fancy?"

Deidara grinned and held up a dodgy 80's horror movie, "Don't tell me we actually have something in common, yeah?"

"My youngest cousin, Gaara, got me in to horror movies. He's even worse with people than I am, believe it or not."

They laughed and joked about the movie together until they fell in to a comfortable silence; Deidara resting his head on Sasori's shoulder, the redhead putting his arm round the blond, stroking his gorgeous hair. Deidara moved his head slightly to kiss at Sasori's pale neck, and he soon had his lips on the redhead's. He opened his eyes to observe Sasori's reaction as he ran his tongue over the other artist's. Deidara grinned mischievously as Sasori opened his eyes in confusion and broke the kiss,

"What the hell was that?!"

Deidara stuck his tongue out in reply, revealing his two tongue piercings, "Does it bother you? I can take them out if you want."

Sasori shook his head, "No, it was just unexpected. I can get used to it." Sasori pulled the blond into a deeper kiss, running his tongue over and around Deidara's piercings. Sasori had no idea, but the action of his tongue playing with the studs was an incredible turn on for Deidara, the kiss becoming more heated when Deidara started to moan in pleasure. He lay back willingly as Sasori gently pushed him down on the sofa, the redhead lying flush on top of him, never breaking the kiss. Sasori moved to bite at Deidara's collarbone as he felt the blond's warm hands find their way under his shirt to caress the perfect skin of his hips and lower back. Sasori stopped, face flushed, to look down at the blond,

"Do you want to continue this in bed?" He asked, lust evident on his voice. Deidara giggled, looking up at Sasori with half lidded eyes,

"On the first date? I didn't think you were that type, yeah."

"Technically, you could say it's our third date," Sasori guided the unresisting blond to the master suite, pushing him down on the large four poster bed before lying back down on top of him. The kissing resumed with fervour, only stopping briefly as Sasori tugged off Deidara's top and the redhead took a moment to appreciate Deidara's perfect, if a little too skinny, body. Deidara pulled Sasori into another kiss before taking the redhead's hands in his own, leading them down to the fastening of his jeans. In the time it took for Deidara to get Sasori's shirt off, the redhead had pulled the blond's jeans down far enough to free Deidara's hard cock, revealing that he was not wearing underwear. Sasori's eyes lit up at the sight of the silver ring through the tip of Deidara's penis; he had enjoyed playing with the blond's other piercings. He kissed his way down Deidara's body as the blond squirmed beneath him. Sasori smirked when he saw that Deidara had his eyes closed in pleasure, and took his chance to surprise the blond. He licked round the head of Deidara's cock, distracting him enough to take the ring between his teeth, giving a firm but gentle tug.

"_Ahhhhhhh, fuck!_" Deidara arched his back in sheer pleasure. Sasori repeated the action, revelling in the blond's reaction. He continued; licking and nipping at the thick vain on the underside of Deidara's cock, sliding his tongue round the head, pushing it gently over the slit, finally taking almost the whole length into his mouth. Sasori started slowly; moving his head up and down as he sucked, speeding up his rhythm when Deidara cried out for more. The blond tangled his fingers painfully in Sasori's hair as his body tensed,

"Sasori…I can't…I'm gonna…_Ahhhhhh!_" Sasori placed his hands on Deidara's hips, holding him down as the blond came in his mouth. He swallowed it all while Deidara sat up, panting, unfastening and removing Sasori's pants. It had been three years since Sasori had had any sexual contact with another person, and his hard cock was already leaking pre-cum. Deidara took his time to lap up the droplets, the erotic taste making his semi-hard cock twitch. He didn't tease as Sasori had; rather deep throating the redhead immediately, keeping his lips as tight as possible as he hummed and swallowed, rubbing his tongue studs on the underside until Sasori soon came, Deidara's black painted fingernails digging into Sasori's hips. The kissing resumed, Deidara flipping them over so that he was on top, the blond rubbing his groin against Sasori's.

"Fuck me…" Deidara rolled off Sasori to lie on his back as soon as they were both hard again, totally submissive, caressing his stomach and chest with his hands. It was the most arousing thing Sasori had ever seen. The redhead reached into a draw on the bedside table, removing a tub of Cock Rub. He thanked God that he always replaced the unopened tubs after they passed their use-by dates. He slicked his fingers and moved to kneel in between the blond's legs. Sasori ran his tongue up and down the length of Deidara's cock, taking pleasure in watching the blond squirm in need beneath him, as he slowly inserted a finger.

"_Ahhhhh!"_ Deidara moaned at the feeling of the cold gel inside him. Sasori soon added two more fingers - gently massaging Deidara's prostate with his fingertips, rubbing in small circles. He coated his cock with lubricant, shivering in pleasure as the cold gel touched heated flesh. Sasori moved up the blond, kissing him deeply before nipping at his neck,

"Turn over," Sasori whispered. The blond complied, getting on his hands and knees. In a move out of character for both of them, neither thought about using a condom. Sasori removed his fingers, using his hand to guide his cock – he pushed slowly into the blond, Deidara pushing back hard. He needed the redhead inside him,

"Sasori, this isn't the first time I've been fucked up the arse…I need you inside me, now…_please!_" Sasori complied, placing one hand on the blond's shoulder and the other on Deidara's hip – pulling the blond back while he slammed his cock into Deidara's body. They stayed like that for a few seconds until Deidara's trembling subsided. Sasori fucked him slowly and gently, his movements only becoming faster and harder as Deidara begged and pleaded. The blond came first; crying out. Sasori soon followed. They collapsed on the bed together, panting and slick with sweat.

"That was fucking amazing…" Deidara rolled over to cuddle up to Sasori, something he had never done with anyone else.

Sasori could not help but feel a bit smug, "I was worried I would have forgotten how, it had been quite a while." Sasori trailed a hand down Deidara's stomach, "Fancy a shower together?"

Deidara grinned in reply.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Beautiful and the Damned**

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be a trolley monkey at Tescos

* * *

Deidara woke to find himself alone in Sasori's bed. He felt his stomach drop as a feeling of dread crept over him; had Sasori just made another 'mistake'? The blond's worrying thoughts were interrupted when Sasori stuck his head round the door,

"Morning," he smiled, "Do you want some breakfast?" It took Deidara a few seconds of blank staring before he registered that Sasori had not told him to fuck off out of his house.

"Could I just have some coffee, please?" he asked. Sasori nodded and disappeared again. The blond lay back down on the bed, smiling. He replayed the night before in his head – he had lost count of how many times Sasori had made him orgasm. Deidara left the comfort of Sasori's bed and dressed before wandering off to find him.

Sasori's penthouse was certainly bigger than it looked, but Deidara soon came across the redhead in the kitchen. He was leaning against the cupboards waiting for a pot of coffee to boil. Deidara placed a hand on Sasori's face, tilting his head to kiss him sweetly. Sasori frowned when the kiss ended,

"I never realised just how much taller you are than me."

Deidara smirked, he had a good four inches on Sasori, "Well, you had other things on your mind last night." The blond became serious, "Look, Sasori, I really, _really_ like you and-ˮ Sasori silenced him with a gentle kiss, the redhead knowing what Deidara wanted to say,

"Just as well; I don't do one night stands," he smiled as the blond giggled in happiness.

Deidara took his fresh coffee and leant against the kitchen counter, not before switching on his mobile. He was instantly bombarded with several voicemail alerts. Sighing, he flipped open the phone and dialled his answering machine. As predicted the messages were from Tobi demanding to know where he was and why he was not where he was supposed to be that morning. Deidara ignored the messages and had just set his phone down on the table when it rang.

"Argh, what?!"

"Where the _hell_ are you?! You were supposed to be at the photo shoot an hour ago!" a clearly flustered Tobi shouted.

Deidara rolled his eyes, causing Sasori to laugh, "I'm at my boyfriend's place. Tell them I will be there whenever I get there!"

"That's all very well for you- wait…you have a boyfr-"

"Bye Tobi," Deidara hung up on his PA. He sent Sasori an apologetic look, "Im sorry but I have to go. Are you doing anything tonight?"

Sasori shook his head, "Not tonight, but I am back in the studio from tomorrow afternoon."

"Hmmm, I'll miss you while you're working. But how about you come over to mine tonight? You could stay over. I'll prepare dinner, yeah," he moved to wrap his arms around Sasori's waist, "And I have a hot tub…" he whispered huskily, then gently nipped at the redhead's ear.

"You've convinced me."

* * *

Deidara arrived two hours late for the photo shoot and was instantly fussed over by a team of stylists. He was currently sitting in the make-up department; a short brunette girl applying a foundation much paler than his skin tone to his face.

"Tobi, what's this photo shoot for, yeah?" A frazzled looking Tobi popped up beside him,

"I've told you on at least four separate occasions!"

"Bollocks did you!"

"You just didn't listen!"

"Well tell me again, I'm listening now, yeah."

Tobi sighed and mentally counted to ten to calm down, "It's a photo shoot for Loaded magazine – it's going to be the main feature, and you will be on the cover."

Deidara looked confused as the make-up girl started applying red eye shadow and black eyeliner, "But I thought Loaded was a "men's magazine". Don't they usually have girls in thongs with their tits out on the cover, yeah?"

"You really haven't listened to a word I've said for the last few days, have you? In last months issue you came top in a poll of the Top 20 Men You Would Turn Gay For, so now you have the dubious honour of being the first ever male cover model of a 'Lad's Mag'," Tobi explained, "Congratulations on making a record number of straight men question their sexuality."

Deidara couldn't reply; the make-up artist was applying blood red lipstick to his full lips. She redid his hair in an elaborate style, wrapping plaited red ribbons around sections of hair. She had just finished when the photography director entered,

"Deidara? The wardrobe department are ready when you are."

* * *

Sasori had just sat down with a good book after cleaning up from the previous nights'…activities…when Temari unlocked the door with her spare key and came tumbling inside, shopping bags flying everywhere.

"You were supposed to meet me at the coffee house! Do you know how long I was waiting?!" she fumed.

Sasori blinked a couple of times before realising what the hell she was talking about, "Oh, shit! I forgot! I'm sorry, something came…um, up…" he trailed off, tips of his ears turning bright red. Temari narrowed her eyes,

"What kind of _something_?"

Sasori took a deep breath, "Well I might as well tell you saying as you're the only person I have to talk to about this kind of thing. I…have a boyfriend. And I was with him last night. And this morning…" he said, letting his cousin read between the lines.

Temari's eyes widened comically, "You mean you…last night?"

"Um, yeah. Quite a few times…" he could feel his whole face burning now.

"Get your coat; we're going to the coffee shop and you are going to tell me what the hell happened between now and yesterday," she left no room for argument.

* * *

"Spill," Temari commanded before taking a sip of her double espresso. They were sitting in the coffee shop down the street from Sasori's gallery, in a quiet booth at the back. Sasori sighed deeply, knowing that Temari would not leave him alone until she had the full story.

"After you left in such a hurry yesterday, Deidara and I sat and talked. I took your advice and told him I would give him a chance. We met last night for a date and I invited him back to my apartment. We watched a movie, shared a bottle of wine, and one thing led to another. This morning he confessed that he liked me a lot, and I told him I didn't do one night stands. Now he is my boyfriend."

Temari shook her head, "It's just so sudden…But oh my God! Deidara is _your_ boyfriend?!"

Sasori scowled, "You don't have to make it sound like it's so unbelievable that someone like Deidara would be interested in me."

"It's not that; just you usually go for boring management types; you know, safe guys."

"Hmmm," Sasori folded his arms, unconvinced. "Oh, before I forget, can I borrow your car tonight?"

"…sure."

* * *

"Okay, the chef says that all the food is prepared and set out on the hot plate, all you have to do is carry it to the table. Hidan and I will be back tomorrow after lunch. Ring me if you need anything, we'll be staying at the Savoy," Tobi slipped his jacket on and picked up his car keys.

"Yes, yes, yes; just go already, yeah!" Deidara shouted, rushing around lighting the myriad of candles he had spread around the living space. He had ripped the red ribbons from his hair in disgust as soon as the shoot was over, and after two hours of flinging clothes around he had finally settled on a smart casual look.

"And for God's sake, don't forget to blow out those candles!" Tobi managed to shout before he was dragged out of the house by Hidan.

Deidara lit the last of the candles and rechecked all of the preparations. He looked at the clock – still one hour until Sasori would be there. The blond artist sat down on the couch, checking the time every thirty seconds. He started fiddling with the hem of his top, biting his lip nervously, afraid that Sasori would dislike the food or have a deep seated hatred of candles. Deidara glanced at the clock again – fifty eight minutes to go.

* * *

Temari had insisted that she stay and help her cousin pick out something to wear for his dinner date. She had rifled through Sasori's wardrobe, despairing at his lack of any fashionable clothes. It had led to an impromptu shopping trip to some of the most expensive boutiques in the city. Sasori had trudged along behind her uncomplaining, silently grateful to her.

"What about this?" Sasori asked. They were back at Sasori's apartment and the redhead was trying on his purchases. This was the fifth combination he had tried, each one before it meeting a negative from the blond woman. Temari turned from her place on the couch fully prepared to tell her cousin that he had an uncanny ability to look permanently unstylish. She stared, her expression reminding Sasori of a goldfish he once owned.

"You look…wow…" she eventually managed. The artist was wearing loose, low-cut faded black jeans with a studded belt. A charcoal grey fitted shirt clung tantalisingly close to his body. He wore one of his own well-worn black leather biker jackets, leaving it unzipped and the shirt visible underneath.

"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed, picking up his wallet, phone, and Temari's car keys from a 17th century sideboard. He stopped on his way out of the door, "Thanks, Temari."

She gave him a sly smile and a wink, "I won't bother waiting up."

* * *

Awwww, bless 'em! Pity this is just the calm before the storm...


	10. Chapter 10

Well, it's been a while. I must apologise for the extended absence - my post-graduate thesis is on a bitch of a topic and has taken over my life. Anyhoo, I wrote this while watching Eurovision.

Disclaimer: Carpe Diem.

* * *

Sasori climbed into Temari's sleek Porsche Boxster and took a final look at the map Deidara had scrawled for him earlier and signed with a kiss. The house was, inevitably, in the most expensive district. Long private driveways led to large, sprawling homes shielded from each other by tall trees creating the illusion of seclusion. The dusky light made it harder to see and Sasori almost missed the turn off to Deidara's driveway. He was a little perplexed to see a Lamborghini wrapped round a tree.

It was a few hundred yards before Deidara's hilltop house came into view; a sprawling modernist masterpiece made up of white walls and expanses of tinted glass that had been designed by one of Fire Country's leading architects two decades earlier. Sasori parked next to Deidara's Bugatti in front of the house. The whole of the front wall was constructed of massive glass panes of the kind that would allow the occupants to see outside perfectly while anyone lurking outside would not be able to see inside. It took Sasori a few moments to locate the entrance. He had less luck trying to find the doorbell and was about to knock loudly when it suddenly swung open.

"I've been waiting by the door for the last twenty-five minutes," the blond grinned. He pulled Sasori through the door and into a welcoming kiss. "You look amazing."

"You have Temari to thank for that," Sasori laughed.

"Well, I wasn't gonna say anything…but it's kind of obvious," Deidara winked, taking Sasori's hand. He led the redhead through to the living space, "Have a seat. Red wine?"

"Please," Sasori glanced around the room, slightly awed by the sheer size and openness of the place. "Wow…" he noticed the glass ceiling; the bright stars clearly visible now that he was in the hills.

"That's pretty much the only reason I bought this place," Deidara set two large glasses of merlot on the coffee table and slipped onto the sofa next to his boyfriend, "Well, that and the size of the place. It makes it easier to escape from Tobi and Hidan for a few precious minutes, yeah."

"So Tobi is your PA I'm guessing from this morning, but who's Hidan?"

Deidara rested his head on his fist, "Hmm, how to explain Hidan…Well I'll start by saying that I've never slept with him and I don't fancy him, so you don't have to contend with any underlying sexual history or tension." Sasori gave him a flat look, "I'm joking, yeah! I met Hidan back when I first moved here. It was a bit of a crazy time nearly four years ago – I had just turned eighteen and was looking to make it big. Needless to say – I did, and very quickly. Going from broke, first-year art school drop-out to suddenly being fawned over by the art world and presented with a succession of six figure cheques meant that I was totally out of my depth. I fell in with a bad crowd and developed a pretty hardcore coke habit. This was before I hired Tobi, so I was still very much on my own. I tried rehab on the advice of my then agent, but it didn't work. I came back to the city and scored straight away from my one of my friends. I don't know what they had cut it with but it seriously fucked me over. It was Hidan who found me in one of the club's corridors, and I basically went into cardiac arrest. He called an ambulance and gave me CPR, he was an officer in the army for three years so luckily knew exactly what to do. He got my heart started again, and when the paramedics took me to hospital he came too. He's been my best friend ever since. I dropped the friends I used to hang round with. Don't get me wrong, Hidan is no saint – he got me in touch with an army pal of his who turned coke dealer, but at least I know what it's got in it.'

Sasori had to bite his lip to keep from chastising the blond for his drug habit. He knew it wasn't his place – not yet anyway. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Deidara smiled nervously, he so desperately wanted things between him and Sasori to work out that he was beginning to regret his honesty, 'Are you hungry, yeah? I was so nervous that you weren't going to turn up that I haven't eaten all day.'

'Sure, I can eat now. Do you need any help?'

'No everything's prepared, just sit there and look pretty and I'll be right back,' Deidara disappeared into the kitchen. As soon as he was out of sight and earshot he leant against the wall for support, banging the back of his head against it a few times, 'Stupid fucking idiot!'

Sasori heaved a sigh and held his head in his hands. Screw it not being his place to say anything – he had just found out that his boyfriend had almost died from his addiction only a few short years ago. It could never work out between him and the blond like this; he needed stability, not to live in fear of a phone call from a distraught Tobi to tell him that his lover had overdosed. He snapped out of his macabre thoughts as a chipper Deidara returned carrying a large tray covered in small dishes of tapas. The tray was set down on the coffee table and Deidara returned to his seat, 'I thought it would be nice to have an informal-ʼ

'Deidara.'

The blond's breath caught in his throat, a terrible sense of déjà vu settling over him, 'yes?'

* * *

Damn, both late and short.


	11. Chapter 11

Aha, I'm back! All I can do is apologise for the delay – I'm finding it harder to find the time to work on my fanfics as I get older. But take solace in the fact that _none _of my fics have been discontinued – I'm just taking my sweet ass time.

There should be some at least semi-regular updates coming up – I'm writing my PhD, so any escapism is much sought after!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be scrounging off publicly-funded bodies by being a career student!

The blond's breath caught in his throat, a terrible sense of déjà vu settling over him,

'yes?'

He started slightly as Sasori's hand cupped his face, forcing him to make eye contact. He felt tears well up at the sight of Sasori's pleading expression,

'Deidara, please…for me…stop taking drugs.'

The tears finally spilt over and Deidara broke down, 'I…since the arrest I haven't…all I could think about was what you would think of me,' he didn't resist when Sasori pulled him down onto the couch and held him in his arms.

'Oh, Dei, I'll help you. Whatever you need from me you only have to ask,' the redhead gently stroked the masses of blond hair.

'Sasori Danna…' Deidara whispered. Before Sasori had a chance to register what was happening the blond's demanding lips were upon his own and Deidara was straddling him. They fumbled with the buttons of each other's shirts and finally managed to get the annoying garments out of the way. Deidara broke the kiss for a second to reach behind himself and throw the tray of food to the floor. Sasori sank to his knees in front of the low coffee table, laying his lover down on the marble. Deidara hissed and arched his back as his warm skin touched the cold stone. Sasori pulled down the blond's pants, at the same time worshipping Deidara's body with his mouth. He freed his hard already leaking cock and spat in his hand, using a combination of saliva and pre-cum to lube himself. Deidara used his impressive flexibility to hook his legs behind his arms comfortably and pull his cheeks apart. Sasori plunged his cock inside fast and hard, causing the blond to scream. There was no time to adjust, and Sasori fucked his lover roughly,

'Ah, FUCK! Ugh…harder, fuck me harder…HARDER! Ah, I'm gonna cum!'

It lasted mere seconds, Sasori crying out as he came harder than he ever had before just moments after Deidara. He collapsed on the blond, totally spent. They lay like that until they had recovered enough to move,

'That was amazing,' Deidara sat up, gently pulling Sasori out from inside. A mixture of cum and a little blood slowly oozed out of the blond.

'You're bleeding. I'm sorry, I was too rough. I hurt you,' Sasori felt like slapping himself for his selfishness, for hurting his boyfriend for the sake of pleasure. It was so unlike him. In truth he had never experienced rough sex; it wasn't something any of his previous lovers had ever initiated.

Deidara cocked his head in confusion. He was still sitting naked on the table while Sasori was getting dressed, 'Why be sorry? I'm not. What we shared there – it was pure, animalistic…artistic, even. It was truth.'

Sasori stared at the gorgeous creature in front of him, 'I don't think I'll ever understand you, brat.'

Two hours later they were showered, dressed and sprawled out on the giant couch eating takeaway pizza and watching Return of the Living Dead,

'The special effects in exploitation movies are so bad they're good, much better than all of that CGI crap, yeah.'

'I agree. The impaling scene in Cannibal Holocaust is so simple yet so realistic. But like in this film', Sasori waved a slice of chicken tikka pizza in the direction of the TV, 'it doesn't need to be realistic…the point is that it is tangible.' A few seconds passed in contemplation before Sasori and Deidara suddenly burst out laughing,

'Oh my God, listen to us! We sound like pretentious first year Media students, yeah!' Deidara took a gulp of wine.

Sasori put on a serious voice, 'Don't get me started on the deep social commentary inherent in _Isla: She-Wolf of the SS._'

Deidara spat his wine out over the carpet. Combined with the selection of tapas dishes that had been spilt – well, thrown really – earlier, it made for an interesting post-nihilist vision. Their laughing calmed down and Deidara settled down comfortably, feet up on the couch, leaning against his boyfriend. The blond had spent a good 15 minutes blowing out all of the candles while they were waiting for the pizza delivery, and now the house was filled with a pleasant smoky, waxy fragrance.

'Dei?'

'Hmm?'

'All those candles and the fancy food, you don't need to try to impress me. This here; me and you, pizza, wine and a terrible movie – it's perfect.'

Deidara snuggled closer into Sasori's side, 'I'm glad. All those candles and rose petals and fancy dinners aren't really my thing either – though most people, I think, assume that they are. I just…I've never done this before, never had a relationship, and I know that you have. Argh! What I'm trying to say is that I didn't want you to compare me with past conquests and me not live up to your expectations, yeah.'

Sasori raised an eyebrow, 'Past conquests?'

'Well, yeah, now I've said it out loud it sounds stupid. But, when you compare me to past boyfriends. I didn't want to loose…What I mean is that I don't want you to think about them while you're with me,' there was a certain melancholy to the blond's tone that made butterflies run riot in Sasori's stomach,

'Why would you think I would do that?'

Deidara shrugged, 'I don't know,' he thought for a moment, 'No, I guess I do know. I've fallen for you _so hard_, and...God this sounds so selfish, but I can't stand the thought of you ever having been in love.'

Sasori was surprised to say the least, 'Dei, believe me when I say I have never been in love with any of my "past conquests". Hell, I'm not even sure I _liked_ any of them. Believe me when I say, and it is hard for me to say, I've never felt this way about anyone else. And...I don't think I ever will again.'

The blond blushed slightly, 'Promise?'

Sasori took his hand and kissed it gently, 'Promise.'


End file.
